Apparatus and system for providing device configuration via a battery

ABSTRACT

A battery pack may be configured to power any of a plurality of different outdoor power equipment device types. The battery pack may include one or more rechargeable battery cells configured to power a device to which the battery pack is operably coupled, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry may include at least a processor and memory. The processing circuitry may be configured to enable configuration of the device or another device of a same device type as the device based on a set of configuration settings stored in the memory.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Example embodiments generally relate to battery technology and, moreparticularly, relate to a battery that is useable in a plurality ofdifferent tools and can provide configuration settings for such devices.

BACKGROUND

Property maintenance tasks are commonly performed using various toolsand/or machines that are configured for the performance of correspondingspecific tasks. Certain tasks, like cutting trees, trimming vegetation,blowing debris and the like, are typically performed by hand-held toolsor power equipment. The hand-held power equipment may often be poweredby gas or electric motors. Similarly, walk-behind and ride-on outdoorpower equipment are used for specific tasks like lawn mowing, tilling,etc., and these devices can have gas or electric motors.

Until the advent of battery powered electric tools/vehicles, gas poweredmotors were often preferred by operators that desired, or required, agreat deal of mobility. Accordingly, many outdoor power equipmentdevices are powered by gas motors because they may be required tooperate over a relatively large range. However, as battery technologycontinues to improve, the robustness of battery powered equipment hasalso improved and such devices have increased in popularity.

The batteries employed in outdoor power equipment may, in some cases, beremovable and/or rechargeable assemblies of a plurality of smaller cellsthat are arranged together in order to achieve desired outputcharacteristics. The groups of smaller cells may be located or housedwithin a housing to form a battery pack. The battery pack may havephysical and electrical design characteristics that determine whichdevices can be powered by the battery pack. In the past, specific uniquebattery packs have often been employed for each specific different typeof outdoor power equipment or for different brands. Thus, each householdor business may have substantially an equal number of battery packs tothe number of devices that are powered by such battery packs. This canconsume more storage space, and also typically means that a diversearray of different battery chargers is also necessary.

Thus, there is a desire to reduce the diversity of battery pack designsused to power outdoor power equipment.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME EXAMPLES

Some example embodiments may provide a battery pack that is capable ofbeing used with a plurality of different types of power tools/vehiclessuch as outdoor power equipment. However, example embodiments mayfurther provide the capability for the battery pack to be the mechanismby which various configuration settings for each device can be saved andprovided to the device in which the battery pack is being used. Thus,for example, every device that the battery pack can power may bepersonalized by a particular operator so that the operator can merelyinstall the battery pack into each device and have the deviceautomatically configured according to his/her preferences. The batterypack can learn or be programmed with configuration settings orpreferences and carry such settings to each device with which thebattery pack is compatible.

In one example embodiment, a battery pack is provided. The battery packmay be configured to power any of a plurality of different outdoor powerequipment device types. The battery pack may include one or morerechargeable battery cells configured to power a device to which thebattery pack is mated, and processing circuitry. The processingcircuitry may include at least a processor and memory. The processingcircuitry may be configured to enable configuration of the device oranother device of a same device type as the device based on a set ofconfiguration settings stored in the memory.

In another example embodiment, an outdoor power equipment device isprovided. The device includes an electric motor, a working elementoperably coupled to the electric motor to be powered by the electricmotor, and a battery pack configured to power the electric motor whenthe battery pack is installed in the device and to power any of aplurality of different outdoor power equipment device types wheninstalled therein. The battery pack may include one or more rechargeablebattery cells configured to power a device to which the battery pack ismated, and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry includes atleast a processor and memory. The processing circuitry is configured toenable configuration of the device or another device of a same devicetype as the device based on a set of configuration settings stored inthe memory.

Some example embodiments may improve the user experience and/or theefficacy of battery powered equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING(S)

Having thus described some example embodiments in general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are notnecessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a concept diagram of a system in which apersonalizable battery may operate in accordance with an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of circuitry for accomplishing twolevels of connectivity for a personalizable battery in accordance withan example embodiment;

FIG. 3 illustrates a control flow diagram for operation of thepersonalizable battery in the same or a different device in accordancewith an example embodiment;

FIG. 4 illustrates a control flow diagram for generating configurationsettings remotely for a personalizable battery in accordance with anexample embodiment; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a control flow diagram for employment of thepersonalizable battery to select, generate or update profiles inaccordance with an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some example embodiments now will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not allexample embodiments are shown. Indeed, the examples described andpictured herein should not be construed as being limiting as to thescope, applicability or configuration of the present disclosure. Rather,these example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure willsatisfy applicable legal requirements. Like reference numerals refer tolike elements throughout. Furthermore, as used herein, the term “or” isto be interpreted as a logical operator that results in true wheneverone or more of its operands are true. As used herein, operable couplingshould be understood to relate to direct or indirect connection that, ineither case, enables functional interconnection or interaction ofcomponents that are operably coupled to each other.

Some example embodiments may provide for a battery pack that can beuseful in connection with battery powered tools or vehicles that maygenerally be referred to as battery powered outdoor power equipment.Outdoor power equipment that is battery powered, and battery poweredtools generally, typically include battery packs that have a givenvoltage or power rating, and have physical characteristics that mustmatch the receptacle of the device that is to be powered. In order toachieve sufficient power, cells of the battery pack may be organized andinterconnected (e.g., in an arrangement of series and/or parallelelectrical connections) to group the cells within the battery pack in amanner that achieves desired electrical characteristics. The batterypack may be inserted into an aperture (e.g., a receptacle) of the pieceof equipment that is to be powered so that the corresponding piece ofequipment (e.g., hand-held, ride-on, or walk-behind outdoor powerequipment) is enabled to be mobile. However, in some cases, the batterypack may be inserted into a backpack or other carrying implement thatthe equipment operator may wear, and the backpack may have an interfaceportion to be inserted into the aperture of the piece of equipment.

The battery pack is typically rechargeable, and may generate heat duringcharge and/or discharge due to the electrochemical reactions that areemployed to produce electricity. Thus, the battery packs and/or theirchargers may sometimes incorporate cooling assemblies for preventingheat generation from becoming excessive, and damaging the cells of thebattery pack. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that the batterypack generally needs to have a physical structure that supports thecells of the battery pack and cooling equipment (if employed), and thatphysical structure needs to further incorporate electrical contacts thatallow the battery pack to be operably coupled to the electric motor ofthe device being powered and to the charger that will recharge thebattery pack. To make the battery pack suitable for use with a pluralityof different types of devices (including outdoor power equipment andchargers), the devices themselves must have consistently designedapertures or other battery receptacles that correspond to the physicalcharacteristics of the battery pack. Alternatively, adaptors may beemployed to adapt the battery pack to use with each respective differentdevice it can power. As such, the electrical contacts of the differenttypes of devices must also be suitable for coupling with the contacts ofthe battery pack (or its adaptor) when the battery pack (or adaptor) isinserted into the respective different types of devices.

Example embodiments are directed to a battery pack that has a physicalstructure that enables the battery pack to be used with a plurality ofdifferent types of devices. However, example embodiments further enablethe battery pack to include a communication capability that enablesprocessing circuitry on or associated with the battery pack to be usedto communicate with processing circuitry on or associated with thedevice being powered so that the battery pack can extract configurationsettings from and/or provide configuration settings to the device beingpowered by the battery pack. Furthermore, in some cases, the batterypack may include communications circuitry that enables the configurationsettings to be communicated to/from one or more network devices. Assuch, the battery pack is essentially connected and connectable tonetwork devices that may allow the operator to program configurationsettings “off line” instead of directly when the battery pack isconnected to the device being powered. Configuration settings maytherefore be defined on a real time or post hoc basis. The configurationsettings may be stored in a profile that is directly associated with oneor more operators, and thus, multiple profiles could alternatively oralso be provided for a single battery pack. The profiles could be sharedbetween battery packs and/or operators, and in some cases, the batterypack may employ a selected profile based on a number of possibleselection criteria that may be available to the battery pack uponinstallation of the battery pack into a device. Thus, the battery packmay essentially be a personalization tool for the operator to ensurethat each device the operator uses is personalized with theconfiguration settings the operator prefers.

FIG. 1 illustrates a concept diagram of a system 100 in which apersonalized battery of an example embodiment may operate. As shown inFIG. 1 , the system 100 includes a plurality of individual pieces ofoutdoor power equipment including a first device 110, a second device120, a third device 130, and a fourth device 135. Each of the first,second, third and fourth devices 110, 120, 130 and 135 includes at leastan electric motor, a working element powered by the electric motor, anda battery pack as described herein. The system 100 also includes acharger 140 for charging the battery pack, which is a personalizablebattery 150 of an example embodiment. In some cases, the system 100 mayfurther include an access point 160. The access point 160 may enable thecharger 140 and/or the personalizable battery 150 to be operably coupledto a network 170 to which user equipment 180 may be connected.

In the pictured example, the first device 110 is a blower, the seconddevice 120 is a trimmer, the third device 130 is a chainsaw, and thefourth device 135 is a riding lawn mower. However, these three exampledevices are merely shown to illustrate the potential forinteroperability of the personalizable battery 150 with a plurality ofdifferent types of devices in the outdoor power equipment context. Thus,other pieces of outdoor power equipment could be substituted or added inother examples. For example, string trimmers, hedgers, walk-behind lawnmowers or other devices could be utilized in connection with otherexample embodiments. Any battery powered piece of outdoor powerequipment that can be operably coupled to the personalizable battery 150for both power provision purposes and communication purposes, asdescribed herein, could be part of the system 100, and the system 100could include as few as a single device or as many as dozens of devices.

Additionally, the fact that four devices that could be powered by thepersonalizable battery 150 are shown is merely illustrative of thepotential for multiplicity relative to the number of devices that thepersonalizable battery 150 can power. Each of the devices may be poweredby a single instance (i.e., the same) personalizable battery 150 atrespective different times. However, in some cases, a number ofdifferent instances of the personalizable battery 150 can communicatewith the access point 160 and be used to power the different devices.Each such personalizable battery could, in such an example, have one ormore different users (and their preferred configuration settings)associated therewith. It should further be appreciated that one instanceof the personalizable battery 150 could be charged using the charger140, and that same instance of the personalizable battery 150 couldpower each respective different one of the first, second, third andfourth devices 110, 120, 130 and 135 in any order after being charged.After charge depletion, the instance of the personalizable battery 150could be recharged at the charger 140. Alternatively, separate instancesof the personalizable battery 150 could power each respective one of thefirst, second, third and fourth devices 110, 120, 130 and 135 while afifth instance of the personalizable battery 150 is charging at thecharger 140. Such different instances could then swap with respect topowered devices as the operators to which each instance belongs switchesto respective different devices.

In the example in which a single instance of the personalizable battery150 is used with each device, the single instance of the personalizablebattery 150 may, in some cases, communicate with the access point 160while being charged on the charger 140 (or even while powering suchdevices, in some cases). Meanwhile, in an example in which multipleinstances of the personalizable battery 150 are employed to powerrespective ones of the first, second, third and fourth devices 110, 120,130 and 135, each such instance may communicate with the access point160 while being charged on respective different chargers simultaneouslyor in sequence via the charger 140. The personalizable battery 150 isshown communicating with the access point 160 while being charged by thecharger 140. However, it should be appreciated that the personalizablebattery 150 may also communicate with the access point 160 when notinstalled or being charged in some alternative examples.

In some cases, the personalizable battery 150 could be used in differentones of the first, second, third and fourth devices 110, 120, 130 and135 at respective different times and extract configuration settingsand/or operating parameters from each respective device while installedtherein. The extracted configuration settings and/or operatingparameters may be representative of the preferred settings selected bythe user, or indicative of the operating pattern(s) employed by theuser. The configuration settings may include power settings, useridentification, volume settings (e.g., for alarms, notifications, stereospeakers, etc.), communication or radio channels, blade height, trimmerangle, handle configuration, seat configuration, display settings,and/or the like. Thus, for example, the user may install thepersonalizable battery 150 into one of the devices and thepersonalizable battery 150 may determine the device type and/or specificdevice identity. The personalizable battery 150 may then record thecurrent settings and any changes made by the user to adjust thosesettings. When the personalizable battery 150 is removed, the last setof current settings may be stored at the personalizable battery 150 (orat the network 170 or the user equipment 180). Then the next time thepersonalizable battery 150 (or another instance that has downloaded thesettings from the network 170) is installed in the device (or a deviceof the same type), the last set of current settings may be duplicated toautomatically configure the device in the manner the user had last usedto configure the device.

In some cases, however, the configuration of the device may notnecessarily merely duplicate the last set of current settings. Instead,the operating parameters of the last usage may impact or otherwise beused to select the configuration of the device. For example, operatingparameters such as power output, the start/stop number, rate ofdischarge, state of charge after use, speed settings employed, and/orthe like may be recorded. Based on these operating parameters from priorusage (either a single usage, or statistics indicative of performanceover multiple prior uses), the configuration settings for the device maybe selected when the personalizable battery 150 is installed. Thus, forexample, if the user has a history of leaving the battery in a low stateof charge or of rapidly discharging the battery, the settings may beselected to slow the user's battery power consumption or maximize theefficiency of the device for the characteristics of use by the user.Alternatively or additionally, safety settings could be selected basedon operating parameters from prior usage.

Thus, for example, configuration settings or operating parameters may bestored locally at the personalizable battery 150, or stored in thenetwork 170 or at the user equipment 180, and the configuration settingsmay be duplicated at a device of the same type (or the same device) forthe same user, or configuration settings may be determined based on theoperating parameters, or a combination of duplication and determinationmay be accomplished using the personalizable battery 150.

It should also be appreciated that the personalizable battery 150 mayhave different triggers or stimuli that cause the personalizable battery150 to communicate with the access point 160 (if applicable) and/or thedevice being powered by the personalizable battery 150. In some cases,initiation of connection of the personalizable battery 150 with a device(e.g., the first, second, third or fourth devices 110, 120, 130 or 135,or the charger 140) may trigger communication. Alternatively oradditionally, termination of connection may trigger communication, orvarious time or event based triggers may cause the personalizablebattery 150 to trigger communication and extract data or installconfiguration settings.

Once data (such as the operating parameters or last set of currentconfiguration settings) has been extracted from devices to which thepersonalizable battery 150 is operably coupled and has been operablycoupled, the data may be stored locally at the personalizable battery150 or at the user equipment 180 and/or the network 170. The network 170may therefore be a local area network, or a wide area network (e.g., theInternet), and the user equipment 180 could be a personal computer orlaptop, a smart phone or tablet, a server, or any of a number of othersuch devices. The access point 160 may communicate with the charger (ordevices) via short range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi,and/or the like), and the access point 160 may have a wired or longerrange wireless connection to the network 170 and/or to the userequipment 180. Moreover, in some cases, if the user equipment 180 has,for example, Bluetooth communication capabilities, the user equipment180 could actually act as the access point 160. Thus, for example, insome cases, the access point 160 could be a communication node thatprovides a gateway to the network 170 so that user equipment that iscapable of communication with the network 170 can interface with thepersonalizable battery 150 and the devices (via the personalizablebattery 150). However, in other cases, the access point 160 could be asmart phone with Bluetooth capability and the user can interact directlywith the personalizable battery 150 without other network resourcestherebetween to download or upload configuration settings via agraphical user interface designed to facilitate such activity.

As may be appreciated from the discussion above, the personalizablebattery 150 includes circuitry to enable the batteries of thepersonalizable battery 150 to be charged (e.g., by the charger 140) andto enable the power from the batteries to be delivered to the devicesbeing powered by the personalizable battery 150, and also includescommunication circuitry to support communication with the access point160 and/or with a device 200 (e.g., any of the first, second, third andfourth devices 110, 120, 130 or 135) as shown in FIG. 2 . Thus, thepersonalizable battery 150 is configured to be operably coupled to thedevice 200 on two levels. First, there is a power transfer communicationlevel of connectivity, and secondly there is a data communication levelof connectivity. As such, the personalizable battery 150 can, forexample, both provide power to a device 200 and communicate with thedevice 200 to extract configuration settings and/or operating parametersand to provide configuration settings to the device 200. In some cases,the personalizable battery 150 is configured to extract informationabout the operation of the device 200 (e.g., the operating parameters)that are either related to positioning, configuration or operation ofcomponents 210 of the device 200, or that are related to configurationsettings currently set for the device 200. In either case, some of theinformation extracted may be obtained directly or indirectly from asensor network 220 of the device 200. The sensor network 220 may includeone or more sensors that are positioned relative to the components 210to determine various configuration settings of such components 210.Thus, the sensors may detect, for example, the angle at which workingassembly components are fixed, the height of various components, currentdraw, power levels, volume settings, state of charge, start/stop number,and/or the like. In some cases, the components 210 and/or the sensornetwork 220 may communicate with the electronic control unit (ECU) 230of the device 200 and the personalizable battery 150 may extractinformation from and provide information to the ECU 230 to enable theECU 230 to interact with the components 210 and/or the sensor network220 to achieve the configuration settings defined by the personalizablebattery 150.

As can be appreciated from the description above, the personalizablebattery 150 may be configured to simultaneously power the device 200,manage that power provision, extract information from the device andprovide configuration settings to the device 200. Moreover, thepersonalizable battery 150 may connect the device to a local and/orremote network via which a user may be enabled to review and/or modifyconfiguration settings remotely by interacting with the personalizablebattery 150 to adjust configuration settings for the device 200 for thenext time the personalizable battery 150 is installed in the device 200.Thus, the personalizable battery 150 can enable the user to duplicatelast used settings for the device 200 or modify settings when thepersonalizable battery 150 is not even connected to the device 200. Theuser can therefore appreciate certain performance characteristics of thedevices (or operators thereof) or otherwise interact with such devicesto enhance maintenance, management or otherwise enhance the userexperience.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the device 200 (which could be any of the first,second, third and fourth devices 110, 120, 130 and 135 of FIG. 1 ) isoperably coupled to the personalizable battery 150 via power provisioncircuitry. In some cases, the power provision circuitry may be embodiedas electrical contacts that mate with each other when the personalizablebattery 150 is inserted fully into a battery receptacle of the device200. The power provision circuitry may enable the cells of thepersonalizable battery 150 to be coupled to the electric motor of thedevice 200.

The ECU 230, which may include processing circuitry for controllingvarious components of the device 200, may control a working assembly(e.g., a blade, mobility assembly, trimmer head, and/or electric motor)of the device 200 and may also gather data (e.g., operating parameters)from various sensors of the sensor network 220 of the device 200. TheECU 230 may also receive operating parameters and/or configurationsetting information regarding the components 210 directly from suchcomponents in some cases. In situations where the personalizable device150 provides configuration settings to the device 200, such settings maybe provided to the ECU 230, and the ECU 230 may initiate or otherwisecontrol/direct initiation of the configuration settings provided.

The personalizable battery 150 may include a battery manager 230configured to manage the power transfer communication level ofconnectivity between the device 200 and the personalizable battery 150,and a communications manager 240 configured to manage data communicationlevel of connectivity between the device 200 and the personalizablebattery 150. As part of managing power transfer, the battery manager 230may institute safe guards or otherwise manage charge/dischargeactivities based on configuration settings provided by thepersonalizable battery 150. However, the battery manager 230 may alsomonitor some of the operating parameters (e.g., those related to currentdraw, output power and/or the like) directly at the personalizablebattery 150 instead of having to receive such information from thedevice 200 via the communications manager 240 (although the device 200could provide such information, or corroborate such information in somecases).

Of note, although the communications manager 240 and the battery manager230 are shown as separate entities in FIG. 2 , it should be appreciatedthat they may be embodied on the same or different physical componentsin various example embodiments. Thus, for example, in some cases, thebattery manager 230 may be embodied on a single chip having its ownprocessor and/or processing circuitry and the communications manager 240may be embodied by a separate chip having separate processor and/orprocessing circuitry resources. However, in still another example, thepersonalizable battery 150 may have a single processing chip that may beconfigured to act as both the battery manager 230 and the communicationsmanager 240. Thus, for example, operational parameters and configurationsettings could pass over a single communication interface or bus in somecases.

As further shown in FIG. 2 , the personalizable battery 150 may includeprocessing circuitry 310 of an example embodiment as described herein.In this regard, for example, the personalizable battery 150 may utilizethe processing circuitry 310 to provide electronic control inputs to oneor more functional units of the personalizable battery 150 and toprocess data received at or generated by the one or more functionalunits regarding various indications of device activity (e.g., operatingparameters and/or configuration settings) relating to a correspondingone of the devices 200 and/or a particular user (or user identity). Insome cases, the processing circuitry 310 may be configured to performdata processing, control function execution and/or other processing andmanagement services according to an example embodiment. As such, theprocessing circuitry 310 may be configured to manage extraction, storageand/or communication of data received or generated at the processingcircuitry 310.

In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 310 may be embodied as achip or chip set. In other words, the processing circuitry 310 maycomprise one or more physical packages (e.g., chips) includingmaterials, components and/or wires on a structural assembly (e.g., abaseboard). The structural assembly may provide physical strength,conservation of size, and/or limitation of electrical interaction forcomponent circuitry included thereon. The processing circuitry 310 maytherefore, in some cases, be configured to implement an embodiment ofthe present invention on a single chip or as a single “system on achip.” As such, in some cases, a chip or chipset may constitute meansfor performing one or more operations for providing the functionalitiesdescribed herein.

In an example embodiment, the processing circuitry 310 may include oneor more instances of a processor 312 and memory 314 that may be incommunication with or otherwise control other components or modules thatinterface with the processing circuitry 310. As such, the processingcircuitry 310 may be embodied as a circuit chip (e.g., an integratedcircuit chip) configured (e.g., with hardware, software or a combinationof hardware and software) to perform operations described herein.However, in some embodiments, the processing circuitry 310 may beembodied as a portion of an on-board computer housed in a battery packwith the battery manager 230 and/or the communications manager 240 tocontrol operation of the personalizable battery 150 relative to itsinteraction with other devices.

Although not required, some embodiments of the personalizable battery150 may employ a user interface 330. The user interface 330 may be incommunication with the processing circuitry 310 to receive an indicationof a user input at the user interface 330 and/or to provide an audible,visual, tactile or other output to the user. As such, the user interface330 may include, for example, a display, one or more switches, lights,buttons or keys (e.g., function buttons), and/or other input/outputmechanisms. In an example embodiment, the user interface 330 may includeone or a plurality of colored lights or a simple display to indicatecharge status or other relatively basic information. However, morecomplex interface mechanisms could be provided in some cases.Alternatively or additionally, the user interface 330 could be embodiedremotely, such as at another device of the network 170, or at the userequipment 180.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the battery manager 230 and the communicationsmanager 240 may be embodied as or otherwise be controlled by theprocessing circuitry 310. However, in some cases, the processingcircuitry 310 may be associated with only a specific one of the batterymanager 230 or the communications manager 240, and a separate instanceof processing circuitry may be associated with the other. Yet in somecases, the processing circuitry 310 could be shared between the batterymanager 230 and the communications manager 240 and/or the processingcircuitry 310 could be configured to instantiate both such entities.Thus, although FIG. 2 illustrates such an instance of sharing theprocessing circuitry 310 between the battery manager 230 and thecommunications manager 240, it should be appreciated that FIG. 3 is notlimiting in that regard.

Each of the battery manager 230 and the communications manager 240 mayemploy or utilize components or circuitry that acts as a deviceinterface 320. The device interface 320 may include one or moreinterface mechanisms for enabling communication with other devices(e.g., device 200, the access point 160, and/or internal components). Insome cases, the device interface 320 may be any means such as a deviceor circuitry embodied in either hardware, or a combination of hardwareand software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/tocomponents in communication with the processing circuitry 310 viainternal communication systems of the personalizable battery 150. Withrespect to the communications manager 240, the device interface 320 mayfurther include wireless communication equipment (e.g., a one way or twoway radio) for at least communicating information from thepersonalizable battery 150 to the access point 160. As such, the deviceinterface 320 of the communications manager 240 may include an antennaand radio equipment for conducting Bluetooth, WiFi, or other short rangecommunication with the access point 160, or for employing other longerrange wireless communication protocols for communicating with the accesspoint 160 in instances where the access point 160 is directly associatedwith provision of access to a wide area network.

The processor 312 may be embodied in a number of different ways. Forexample, the processor 312 may be embodied as various processing meanssuch as one or more of a microprocessor or other processing element, acoprocessor, a controller or various other computing or processingdevices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC(application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmablegate array), or the like. In an example embodiment, the processor 312may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 314 orotherwise accessible to the processor 312. As such, whether configuredby hardware or by a combination of hardware and software, the processor312 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry—inthe form of processing circuitry 310) capable of performing operationsaccording to embodiments of the present invention while configuredaccordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 312 is embodied as anASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 312 may be specifically configuredhardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively,as another example, when the processor 312 is embodied as an executor ofsoftware instructions, the instructions may specifically configure theprocessor 312 to perform the operations described herein.

In an example embodiment, the processor 312 (or the processing circuitry310) may be embodied as, include or otherwise control the operation ofthe personalizable battery 150 based on inputs received by theprocessing circuitry 310. As such, in some embodiments, the processor312 (or the processing circuitry 310) may be said to cause each of theoperations described in connection with the personalizable battery 150in relation to operation the personalizable battery 150 relative toundertaking the corresponding functionalities associated therewithresponsive to execution of instructions or algorithms configuring theprocessor 312 (or processing circuitry 310) accordingly.

In an exemplary embodiment, the memory 314 may include one or morenon-transitory memory devices such as, for example, volatile and/ornon-volatile memory that may be either fixed or removable. The memory314 may be configured to store information, data, applications,instructions or the like for enabling the processing circuitry 310 tocarry out various functions in accordance with exemplary embodiments ofthe present invention. For example, the memory 314 could be configuredto buffer input data for processing by the processor 312. Additionallyor alternatively, the memory 314 could be configured to storeinstructions for execution by the processor 312. As yet anotheralternative or additional capability, the memory 314 may include one ormore databases that may store a variety of data sets responsive to inputfrom the device 200, or any other functional units or devices from whichthe personalizable battery 150 has previously extracted data whilepowering such devices. Among the contents of the memory 314,applications may be stored for execution by the processor 312 in orderto carry out the functionality associated with each respectiveapplication. In some cases, the applications may include instructionsfor extraction of configuration settings or operating parametersassociated with configuration settings. Additionally or alternatively,the applications may include instructions for the correlation ofinformation extracted with a profile that defines a set of configurationsettings associated with a device and/or user. Thus, for example, whenthe personalizable battery 150 is installed into a particular device,the personalizable battery 150 may determine whether a specific userprofile and/or device profile is applicable for the particular device.The personalizable battery 150 may then provide configuration settingsin accordance with the user profile or device profile. However, thepersonalizable battery 150 may also be configured to receive informationthat may cause the user profile and/or device profile to be modified andstore such modified user profile and/or device profile (locally or viathe network 170).

In some embodiments, the battery manager 230 may be any means such as adevice or circuitry embodied in either hardware, or a combination ofhardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmitbattery data (e.g., operating parameters) from/to the device 200. Thebattery manager 230 may also control and/or provide electricalconnections and/or interfaces between the cells 350 of thepersonalizable battery 150 and the device 200 to monitor power provisionparameters and enable the battery manager 230 to implement safety orprotective functions as appropriate. The protective functions may beimplemented based upon examination of the battery data and comparison ofsuch data to various thresholds or safety limits. Thus, the battery datamay, in some cases, be acted upon locally by the battery manager 230.However, alternatively or additionally, the battery data may be providedto the communication manager 240 for transmission to the network 170 (orentities accessible through the network 170). In these and otherinstances, the battery data may be stored locally prior to suchtransmission or may be transmitted in real-time (or substantiallyreal-time).

In an example embodiment, the battery manager 230 may receive orgenerate identification information that correlates the battery data toa specific device (e.g., a specific one of the first device 110, thesecond device 120, the third device 130, or the fourth device 135), orto users of such devices. Thus, all data may be transmitted and/orstored in association with the identification information so that suchdata can be associated with its respective device, device type, or userfor analytical purposes. The identification information may include aspecific device identifier, a type identifier indicating the type ormodel of the device 200, and/or a specific user identifier. The batterydata may include, for example, information indicative of current draw atdiscrete intervals, continuously, or at discrete times. Temperaturedata, maximum current, state of charge, and other data related to thestate of the cells 350 or other aspects of the devices 200 orpersonalizable battery 150 relative to current draw or batteryperformance may also be included in the battery data.

In an example embodiment, the communications manager 240 may be anymeans such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware, or acombination of hardware and software that is configured to receiveand/or transmit service data from/to the device 200. The communicationsmanager 240 may also control the storage and/or further communication(e.g., relaying) of operating parameters and/or configuration settingsextracted from the device 200. Thus, for example, the operatingparameters and/or configuration settings may be extracted from thedevice 200 to which the personalizable battery 150 is operably coupledduring such coupling. The extracted operating parameters and/orconfiguration settings may, at some point thereafter, be transmitted(e.g., relayed) to the access point 160 for further provision to thenetwork 170 or devices connected to the network 170 such as the userequipment 180, or the extracted operating parameters and/orconfiguration settings may be stored at the personalizable battery 150without any need for involvement with the network 170 or componentsthereof. The operating parameters may include information specific todevice performance, at least some of which is not determined based onmeasuring battery parameters. Thus, for example, the service data mayinclude engine RPM, working assembly RPM, torque, run time or run hours,position, orientation, temperature data, speed data, mode of operation,lubricating oil pressure or level, instances of protective actions,and/or the like. Other information may be obtained from the sensornetwork 220 to indicate the position and/or orientation of various onesof the components 210 of the device 200.

In some example embodiments, the operating parameters and/orconfiguration settings may be used for local analysis at thepersonalizable battery 150 to define a current set of configurationsettings for the device 200 (and/or for the user of the device 200). Forexample, the volume settings for a radio of a riding lawn mower (e.g.,the fourth device 135), the cutting deck height, seat position, orvarious other configuration settings, may be recorded at thepersonalizable battery 150 for the riding lawn mower (e.g., in a deviceprofile) and/or for a particular user registered to the personalizablebattery 150 (e.g., in a user profile) and the next time thepersonalizable battery 150 is installed into the riding lawn mower, thecorresponding configuration settings can be restored or duplicated atthe riding lawn mower (or another riding lawn mower of the same type)based on the device profile (e.g., standard configuration settings forthe device type) or based on the user profile (e.g., when the same useris using the same type of device). In other cases, such analysis may beperformed remotely and provided to the personalizable battery 150.

In examples in which there are not multiple user profiles, a single setof configuration settings may be developed for every different devicetype that the personalizable battery 150 is capable of powering andtherefore interfacing with. Thus, for example, in relation to the system100 of FIG. 1 , configuration settings may be defined for each one ofthe first, second, third and fourth devices 110, 120, 130 and 135. Whenthe personalizable battery 150 is installed into any of the devices, thepersonalizable battery 150 may first interface with the ECU 230 of thedevice 200 to discover the device type. Then, after discovering thedevice type, the personalizable battery 150 may communicate with the ECU230 to provide configuration settings to the device 200. If thepersonalizable battery 150 is removed and installed into another device,the personalizable battery 150 may again discover the new device typeand provide the corresponding different configuration settings thatapply to the new device type.

In some cases, the personalizable battery 150 may come from the factorywith default configuration settings for each or a plurality of differentdevice types. After the first mating of the personalizable battery 150with one of the devices (e.g., the device 200), the personalizablebattery 150 may modify the configuration settings stored in the deviceprofile based on the last current set of configuration settings for thedevice 200 and update the device profile accordingly. This may berepeated for every device the personalizable battery 150 interfaces withuntil all device profiles are updated with the last current set ofconfiguration settings. Each withdrawal of the personalizable battery150 from any device may further cause the device profile to be updatedbased on the last current set of configuration settings.

The device type may be manually selected by the user in some cases(e.g., via the user interface 330). However, in other cases, acommunication protocol may enable the ECU 230 to provide device typeinformation. In still other cases, the device 200 may include a beaconor tag (e.g., an RFID tag) that the communications manager 240 may beenabled to interrogate or otherwise detect to determine the device type.

As an alternative, configuration settings may only be changed if thepersonalizable battery 150 is shifted into a learning mode. In thelearning mode, the personalizable battery 150 may allow the deviceprofiles (or user profiles) to be modified. However, when thepersonalizable battery 150 is not in the learning mode, the deviceprofiles (or user profiles) may not be changed. In some cases, thepersonalizable battery 150 may be shifted into and out of the learningmode by a mechanical switch or other component of the user interface330. However, in other cases, the personalizable battery 150 may only beswitched into and out of the learning mode remotely (e.g., via the userequipment 180 or another network component 170) or by taking thepersonalizable battery 150 to a dealer.

In cases in which the personalizable battery 150 may further tailorconfiguration settings to a specific user, the personalizable battery150 may be capable of storing or generating a plurality of userprofiles. Each user may interact with the personalizable battery 150(e.g., via the user interface 330—such as via a button on thepersonalizable battery 150) to identify themselves to the personalizablebattery 150 in a generic way (e.g., as User 1, User 2, etc.), or in amore specific way (e.g., by name, login, an electronic identifier (e.g.,a beacon or RFID tag identifier)). Thus, in some cases, thepersonalizable battery 150 may be enabled to discover the user identity(e.g., by reading a beacon or tag associated with the user)electronically. Electronic discovery may be accomplished via a devicepairing protocol that pairs uses to devices. However, in other exampleembodiments, the personalizable battery 150 may be enabled to discoverthe user identity via other methods.

The other methods may include weight dependent identity determination.For example, by detecting weight of the user sitting in the seat, anadult user may be distinguished from a child. In such a case, it ispossible that the personalizable battery 150 may include an adult userprofile (or multiple such profiles) and a child user profile. The device200 may be completely inhibited from operation based on user identity(by weight), or certain safety or operational restrictions may beemployed (via configuration settings) for low-weight operators (i.e.,children), while the configuration settings associated with the adultprofile may not have such restrictions.

Profile management (e.g., maintaining or updating of user or deviceprofiles) may be accomplished in an active or passive manner. Thus, forexample, active management may include the provision of analysis ofoperating data and/or configuration settings for a given profilerelative to various thresholds or other management objectives, which maybe programmed and accessible to the communications manager 240. Thecommunications manager 240 may then compare the thresholds or managementobjectives to the operating data and/or configuration settings currentlyused on the device 200 to determine (e.g., when the personalizablebattery 150 is being removed) whether to dynamically change theconfiguration settings for applicable profiles. This dynamic updatinggives the personalizable battery 150 the ability to actively determinewhen profile changes should occur to update or change configurationsettings to be provided when the personalizable battery 150 is nextinstalled. However, in other cases, the user may be required to indicatea desire to update configuration settings and no profile updates orother changes to the configuration settings may occur unless and untilthe user directs such changes. In such examples, the personalizablebattery 150 is entirely passive.

In some cases, the operating parameters and/or last set of configurationsettings may be extracted from the device 200 by the personalizablebattery 150 at regular intervals, continuously, and/or as a response tospecific predefined stimuli. After extraction, the communicationsmanager 240 may determine whether to store the data temporarily or relaythe operating parameters and/or last set of configuration settings tothe access point 160. The predefined stimuli may include insertion orremoval of the personalizable battery 150, the detection of parametrictriggers or the changing of any configuration settings. Transmission ofconfiguration settings to configure the device may occur responsive toinsertion of the personalizable battery 150 into the device 200.

In some cases, the UE 180 may receive the operating parameters and/orlast current set of configuration settings and execute one or moreapplications based on the operating parameters and/or last current setof configuration settings. As such, the UE 180 may include processingcircuitry that may be similar in capability and perhaps also structureto the processing circuitry described above. The UE 180 may executeapplications for storage and/or analysis of the operating parametersand/or last current set of configuration settings. The UE 180 may alsobe configured to execute an application for reviewing, monitoring,and/or changing individual device or user profiles or specificconfiguration settings. In some cases, the applications at the UE 180may include an application for cloud-based fleet management of tools.Thus, for example, adaptive tool settings, instructions and/or the likemay be used to specifically configure tools under specificallyidentified circumstances or scenarios to maximize control over, forexample, a fleet of tools.

As can be appreciated from the example embodiments above, someembodiments may provide a personalizable battery 150 that can extractoperating parameters and a last current set of configuration settings todefine configuration settings to be duplicated or otherwise provided forany of a number of devices to which the personalizable battery 150 isoperably connectable (e.g., the device 200).

FIGS. 3-5 illustrate various example control flow diagrams illustratinga series of communication operations associated with operation of thepersonalizable battery 150 of an example embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, the personalizable battery 150 may initially detect insertion into thedevice 200 at operation 400. Thereafter, operating parameters andcurrent configuration settings may be extracted from the device 200 bythe personalizable battery 150 at operation 402. At some later time, theuser may make a change in configuration settings at operation 404. Thepersonalizable battery 150 may extract information indicative of thechanged settings at operation 406. At operation 408, the personalizablebattery 150 may detect removal of the personalizable battery 150 fromthe device 200 and store or update the applicable profile(s).Thereafter, another insertion event may be detected at operation 410. Ifthe insertion is into the device 200 again, then the personalizablebattery 150 may provide configuration settings to the device 200 (e.g.,to restore the last current set of configuration settings or to providenew configuration settings if the user made changes or active/dynamicchanges occurred to the configuration settings at operation 412. If theinsertion was instead into a different device of the same type, then thesame configuration settings sent that would be sent via operation 412may be sent to the different device 450 at operation 414. However, ifthe different device 450 is of a different type, then the configurationsettings sent would be a different set of configuration settings(corresponding to the device type and/or specific user profile that isapplicable) at operation 416.

In the example of FIG. 4 , the personalizable battery 150 may initiallydetect insertion into the device 200 at operation 400. Thereafter,operating parameters and current configuration settings may be extractedfrom the device 200 by the personalizable battery 150 at operation 402.The personalizable battery 150 may thereafter be removed from the device200 and installed in the charger 140 at operation 418. Operatingparameters and/or the last set of current configuration settings may berelayed in association with a user profile and/or device profile atoperation 420 to the access point 160, which may then relay suchinformation to the UE 180 (e.g., via the network 170) at operation 422.The UE 180 may perform analysis at operation 424, and may generate adisplayable output of current configuration settings. The user mayinteract with the configuration settings to define configurationsettings at operation 426. The configuration settings may be providedback to the personalizable battery 150 at operation 428. When insertionis again detected at operation 430, the configuration settings may beprovided to the device 200 at operation 432.

In the example of FIG. 5 , the personalizable battery 150 may initiallydetect insertion into the device 200 at operation 400. Thereafter, thepersonalizable battery 150 may determine identification information ofthe user or device at operation 460. At operation 462, the user profileor device profile applicable to the identification information isaccessed. Thereafter, at operation 464, configuration settings for thedetermined identification information may be provided to the device 200.Any configuration changes made (as long as the personalizable battery150 is in the learning mode) may be provided back to the personalizablebattery 150 at operation 466. The applicable user or device profile maythen be updated at operation 468.

As an example involving a chainsaw, the personalizable battery 150 maybe installed into the chainsaw. The personalizable battery 150 maydetect insertion into the chainsaw and determine identificationinformation of the user and determine a user profile or device profileapplicable to the identification information. Based on the user profileor device profile, the preferred carburetor settings and chain brakesettings for the user may be determined and corresponding adjustmentsmay be made. Thus, for example, the operating RPM and the chain brakesensitivity may be adjusted, etc. If the user makes any adjustmentsduring operations, the settings adjusted may be stored to the userprofile or device profile.

As another example, involving a riding lawnmower, the personalizablebattery 150 may be installed into the riding lawnmower. Thepersonalizable battery 150 may detect insertion into the ridinglawnmower and determine identification information of the user anddetermine a user profile or device profile applicable to theidentification information. In some cases, the weight in the seat may beused to determine the identification information. Based on the userprofile or device profile, the preferred seat configuration and deckheight settings for the user may be determined and correspondingadjustments may be made. Thus, for example, the seat position and deckheight may be adjusted, etc. If the user makes any adjustments duringoperations, the settings adjusted may be stored to the user profile ordevice profile.

Accordingly, in one example embodiment, a battery pack configured topower any of a plurality of different outdoor power equipment devicetypes is provided. The battery pack may include one or more rechargeablebattery cells configured to power a device to which the battery pack isoperably coupled (e.g., mated with, installed in, inserted in, pluggedin, etc.), and processing circuitry. The processing circuitry mayinclude at least a processor and memory. The processing circuitry may beconfigured to enable configuration of the device or another device of asame device type as the device based on a set of configuration settingsstored in the memory.

In some cases, modifications or amplifications may further be employedas optional alterations or augmentations to the description above. Thesealterations or augmentations may be performed exclusive of one anotheror in any combination with each other. In some cases, such modificationsor amplifications may include (1), the set of configuration settings isgenerated based on extraction of operating parameters or last currentconfiguration settings from the device to which the battery pack isoperably coupled. In an example embodiment (2), the operating parametersor the last current configuration settings are communicated to thebattery pack responsive to a change in the operating parameters or thelast current configuration settings. In some cases (3), the operatingparameters or the last current configuration settings are stored at thebattery pack responsive to removal (withdrawal, unplugging,uninstalling, etc.) of the battery pack from the device. In someembodiments (4), the set of configuration settings is provided to thedevice or the other device of the same device type responsive toinsertion of the battery pack into the device or the other device of thesame device type. In an example embodiment (5), the memory stores aplurality of device profiles providing corresponding sets ofconfiguration settings for each of a plurality of different devicetypes. In some cases (6), a determination of device type is maderesponsive to insertion of the battery pack into the device, and the setof configuration settings provided to the device corresponds to aselected one of the device profiles. In some embodiments (7), the memorystores a plurality of user profiles providing corresponding sets ofconfiguration settings for each of a plurality of different users. In anexample embodiment (8), a determination of user identity is maderesponsive to insertion of the battery pack into the device, and the setof configuration settings provided to the device corresponds to aselected one of the user profiles. In some cases (9), the determinationof user identity is made based on a sensed weight of user. In someembodiments (10), the determination of user identity is made based onuser input. In some cases (11), the determination of user identity ismade based on electronic communication between the device and thebattery pack.

In an example embodiment, some, any or all ofmodifications/amplifications (1) to (11) may be employed in anycombination with each other.

Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forthherein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which theseinventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in theforegoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is tobe understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specificembodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments areintended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associateddrawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certainexemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should beappreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions maybe provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scopeof the appended claims. In this regard, for example, differentcombinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitlydescribed above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of theappended claims. In cases where advantages, benefits or solutions toproblems are described herein, it should be appreciated that suchadvantages, benefits and/or solutions may be applicable to some exampleembodiments, but not necessarily all example embodiments. Thus, anyadvantages, benefits or solutions described herein should not be thoughtof as being critical, required or essential to all embodiments or tothat which is claimed herein. Although specific terms are employedherein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposes of limitation.

That which is claimed:
 1. A battery pack comprising: at least onerechargeable battery cell configured to power one of a plurality ofoutdoor power equipment devices to which the battery pack may beinstalled; and processing circuitry operably coupled to the at least onerechargeable battery cell, the processing circuitry programmed to:store, in a memory, a plurality of sets of configuration settings, eachset of configuration settings corresponding to a profile within aplurality of profiles, each profile being a device profile or a userprofile; detect insertion of the battery pack into an outdoor powerequipment device of the plurality of outdoor power equipment devices;determine identification information indicating a selected profile, theidentification information indicating that the selected profile is adevice profile for the outdoor power equipment device or the selectedprofile is a user profile for a user of the outdoor power equipmentdevice; retrieve, from the memory, a selected set of configurationsettings for the selected profile, the selected set of configurationsettings being one of the plurality of sets of configuration settingsstored in the memory; and transmit, to the outdoor power equipmentdevice, the selected set of configuration settings to configure theoutdoor power equipment device to operate in accordance with theselected set of configuration settings.
 2. The battery pack of claim 1,wherein the plurality of profiles comprises a plurality of deviceprofiles; wherein each device profile within the plurality of deviceprofiles is associated with an outdoor power equipment device type; andwherein the processing circuitry is programmed to determine theidentification information from the outdoor power equipment device, theidentification information indicating the outdoor power equipment devicetype for the outdoor power equipment device.
 3. The battery pack ofclaim 2, wherein the processing circuitry is programmed to determine theidentification information indicating the outdoor power equipment devicetype in response to insertion of the battery pack into the outdoor powerequipment device.
 4. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof profiles comprises a plurality of user profiles; wherein each userprofile within the plurality of user profiles is associated with one ofa plurality of different users; and wherein the processing circuitry isprogrammed to determine the identification information indicating anidentification of the user.
 5. The battery pack of claim 4 furthercomprising a user interface; and wherein the processing circuitry isprogrammed to determine the identification information indicating theidentification of the user via a user interaction with the userinterface.
 6. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the processingcircuitry is programmed to determine the identification informationindicating the identification of the user in response to detectinginsertion of the battery pack into the outdoor power equipment.
 7. Thebattery pack of claim 4, wherein the processing circuitry is programmedto determine the identification information indicating theidentification of the user based on an electronic communication betweenthe outdoor power equipment device and the battery pack.
 8. The batterypack of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is further programmedto extract current configuration settings from the outdoor powerequipment device to which the battery pack is operably coupled forstorage with the plurality of sets of configuration settings.
 9. Thebattery pack of claim 8, wherein the processing circuitry programmed toextract the current configuration settings is further programmed toreceive the current configuration settings via a communicationresponsive to a change in the current configuration settings on theoutdoor power equipment device.
 10. The battery pack of claim 8, whereinthe processing circuitry programmed to extract the current configurationsettings responsive to initiating removal of the battery pack from theoutdoor power equipment device.
 11. An outdoor power equipment devicecomprising: an electric motor; a working element operably coupled to theelectric motor to be powered by the electric motor; and a battery packcomprising: at least one rechargeable battery cell configured to powerthe outdoor power equipment device as one of a plurality of outdoorpower equipment devices to which the battery pack may be installed; andprocessing circuitry operably coupled to the at least one rechargeablebattery cell, the processing circuitry programmed to: store, in amemory, a plurality of sets of configuration settings, each set ofconfiguration settings corresponding to a profile within a plurality ofprofiles, each profile being a device profile or a user profile; detectinsertion of the battery pack into the outdoor power equipment device;determine identification information indicating a selected profile, theidentification information indicating that the selected profile is adevice profile for the outdoor power equipment device or the selectedprofile is a user profile for a user of the outdoor power equipmentdevice; retrieve, from the memory, a selected set of configurationsettings for the selected profile, the selected set of configurationsettings being one of the plurality of sets of configuration settingsstored in the memory; and transmit, to the outdoor power equipmentdevice, the selected set of configuration settings to configure theoutdoor power equipment device to operate in accordance with theselected set of configuration settings.
 12. The outdoor power equipmentdevice of claim 11, wherein the plurality of profiles comprises aplurality of device profiles; wherein each device profile within theplurality of device profiles is associated with an outdoor powerequipment device type; and wherein the processing circuitry isprogrammed to determine the identification information from the outdoorpower equipment device, the identification information indicating theoutdoor power equipment device type for the outdoor power equipmentdevice.
 13. The outdoor power equipment device of claim 12, wherein theprocessing circuitry is programmed to determine the identificationinformation indicating the outdoor power equipment device type inresponse to insertion of the battery pack into the outdoor powerequipment device.
 14. The outdoor power equipment device of claim 11,wherein the plurality of profiles comprises a plurality of userprofiles; wherein each user profile within the plurality of userprofiles is associated with one of a plurality of different users; andwherein the processing circuitry is programmed to determine theidentification information indicating an identification of the user. 15.The outdoor power equipment device of claim 14 wherein the battery packfurther comprises a user interface; and wherein the processing circuitryis programmed to determine the identification information indicating theidentification of the user via a user interaction with the userinterface.
 16. The outdoor power equipment device of claim 14, whereinthe processing circuitry is programmed to determine the identificationinformation indicating the identification of the user in response todetecting insertion of the battery pack into the outdoor power equipmentdevice.
 17. The outdoor power equipment device of claim 14, wherein theprocessing circuitry is programmed to determine the identificationinformation indicating the identification of the user based on anelectronic communication between the outdoor power equipment device andthe battery pack.
 18. The outdoor power equipment device of claim 11,wherein the processing circuitry is further programmed to extractcurrent configuration settings from the outdoor power equipment devicefor storage with the plurality of sets of configuration settings. 19.The outdoor power equipment device of claim 18, wherein the processingcircuitry programmed to extract the current configuration settings isfurther programmed to receive the current configuration settings via acommunication responsive to a change in the current configurationsettings on the outdoor power equipment device.
 20. The outdoor powerequipment device of claim 18, wherein the processing circuitryprogrammed to extract the current configuration settings responsive toinitiating removal of the battery pack from the outdoor power equipmentdevice.